Welcome to the College Life

November 7, 2018

Welcome to the College Life

To All Middle School and High School Girls:

I want you all to know, as a black woman who is in her third year of college, that higher education is nothing to fear. I know it is easy to think that the more that you continue to grow in your education, the worse it becomes and that is not true. The amount of diversity and the amount of girl power that you can find in these institutions can be quite freeing and quite liberating. There is finally a chance to be able to define your life in your own terms, without anyone stopping you. You will finally learn how great you are.

Often times, as women, we are socialized to depend on how we look to speak for who we are and that is not true. There are many intelligent women among us and in these sacred, educated spaces. Here, you have the ability to deconstruct those stigmas and be who you have always dreamt of being. If you are able to create this type of space at an even younger age then that is amazing in itself because you have an earlier start to see what it is that you are in this world. Through this, you can help other women or other girls your age to feel comfortable in who they are.

Sometimes it is hard. The workload can be stubborn and it may feel as if you aren’t going to move far from where you are. This is not true either. The opportunities the world has for us is truly endless. I often look to my ancestors, like Lorraine Hansberry and Zora Neale Hurston, who dedicated their lives to the liberation of all people through their writing and allow them to build my confidence. I think that it is okay, during times like those (when it can be tough on the mind to deal with) to reach out and look to other women that have paved the way for us. Doing this, has helped me to be grateful for the things that I have in the moment and has allowed me to believe that anything is possible.

Do not forget your dreams and aspirations on this journey and do not begin to start on this quest when you are a senior in high school. You are never too young or too old to make a detailed plan on these kinds of things. The younger you are, the better it is to see what you want and to build an in depth career plan off of it. Make yourself proud.

Do as much research on your own as you can and do not let anyone steer you away from what you feel is yours. Study for the ACT early. Make a list of schools that you could see yourself being at in the next few years. Be confident in those choices and allow it to radiate. Do not give your power away to anyone else and keep a humble head because the choices are limitless.